PRIME MINISTER'S QUESTIONS
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Your support makes all the difference.THE SCORE
Honourable draw
Tony Blair
John Major
4/10
4/10
THE EXCHANGES
Blair returned to the beef question. He reminded Major that there had been a promise to lift the ban on British exports by the end of November. "Given the Prime Minister's timetable for lifting that ban by tomorrow, what is his new timetable now?" Major was clearly rattled by this demand, but Blair blew it by then launching into a series of soundbites.
Major savaged Blair's "carefully pre-packaged, pre-prepared piece of
irrelevant, juvenile sloganising," which in turn allowed Major to claim as he did on Tuesday that the Conservatives were above such tactics.
Abolition of Inheritance and Capital Gains Tax (Dr Charles Goodson- Wickes, C. Wimbledon)
The Union of the UK (Bill Walker, C. Tayside N)
VAT (John Austin-Walker, Lab. Woolwich)
Mortgage rates (Tristan Garel-Jones, C. Watford)
Tax rises (John Hutton, Lab. Barrow and Furness)
EDWARD O'HARA
(L. Knowsley South) Rebuked twice by Speaker for not getting to the point, he produced three crisp questions on knives, prompting PM to reveal meeting planned with opposition spokesmen.
GRAHAM RIDDICK
(C. Colne Valley), at the centre of the cash for questions affair. As soon as he stood up, Labour MPs bayed "How much?"
QUIP OF THE DAY
Paddy Ashdown: "The national debt has been going for three hundred years. Will the Prime Minister confirm that he's doubled it in the last six?"
UNANSWERED QUESTION
Mr Major's reply to Mr Ashdown: "Can the Right Honourable Gentleman indicate a single expenditure cut that he has supported?" Mr Ashdown is not allowed a come-back.
CREEP OF THE DAY
Elizabeth Peacock (C. Batley and Spen): "Is my Right Honourable friend aware that the County of Yorkshire has an economy which is bigger and better than many small nations?"
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